1. Field of the Background
The present invention relates generally to mattress covers having multiple joinable and exchangeable components.
2. Description of the Background
Many mattresses today are manufactured using zip on upholstery. Zip on upholstery is most commonly seen in foam mattresses but can also be used on inner-spring mattresses. The outer cover of a mattress historically is attached to a mattress by way of a sewing machine called a “tape edge machine.” Zip on upholstery takes the place of the tape edge machine in a manufacturing environment. When a mattress manufacturer uses a zip on cover they do not need to do any sewing to finish the manufacture of a mattress.
An example of a zip on upholstery mattress cover 10 is seen in FIG. 1. The mattress cover 10 includes a top portion 12 and a bottom portion 14 joined along at least a portion of one end (not shown) and an opening 16 through which an internal mattress structure 18 is inserted. An integral zipper tape 20 with zipper tracks 24a and 24b bounded on both ends by the mattress cover material is secured within the opening 16 and used to seal the mattress cover 10 over the internal mattress structure 18. By pulling a zipper pull 22, the complementary zipper tracks 24a and 24b of the zipper tape 20 are joined to close the opening 16 and seal the internal mattress structure 18 within the mattress cover 10. Once the zipper tape 20 has been closed, the zipper tape is typically mechanically altered to prevent reopening, or sealed, or otherwise secured to permanently seal the mattress cover 10.
However, such mattress covers 10 present problems in the mattress industry. For example, once a mattress cover is sealed, a user cannot alter the appearance of the mattress without applying an additional mattress cover over the sealed mattress cover. This is a particular concern for mattress manufacturers that supply mattresses to competing retailers. Often, mattress retailers differentiate their product lines based on appearance, or in other words, the mattress aesthetics, rather than the internal mattress structure. For example, a mattress manufacturer may supply the same internal mattress structure to two different retailers who will market the mattress under two different brand names. In such a case, the manufacturer must make two different mattress covers: one for each retailer.
Moreover, this problem is compounded when additional mattress builds are provided to additional retailers. For example, a mattress manufacturer may provide several mattress builds to a retailer that may have internal mattress structures with different thicknesses due to differences in layers included within a particular build. Thus, for a given mattress size, such as a king, queen, single, etc., the manufacturer must use as many different mattress covers as there are different mattress thicknesses.
These problems have a significant economic impact on mattress manufacturers. Considerable material and labor costs are required to produce the different mattress covers needed. Manufacturers are required to stock a greater number of mattress stock keeping units (skus) to supply different retailers with many different mattresses. Further, additional space is needed to store the large number of skus needed, which translates into increased facility costs.
There is a need, therefore, for improved mattress covers that overcome the shortcomings in the mattress manufacturing industry.